


shall we?

by joshriku



Category: Kingdom Hearts, Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining, fics that could be over if the characters talked abt their feelings quicker but alas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-12
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:27:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23113918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joshriku/pseuds/joshriku
Summary: “I stare at you too, you know,” Joshua continues like he’s still giving game tips. “Look past yourself and you’ll see me staring back at you.”
Relationships: Kiryu "Joshua" Yoshiya/Riku (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	shall we?

**Author's Note:**

> started making it. had a breakdown. finished it
> 
> i love making up timelines for these 2 so this is a year after the events of remind and everyone is happy no one is dead so they can just be dumb 19 yr olds who love each other. (or like milennia yr olds bc joshua is an enigma)

His body is heavy. 

There is a lot he wishes to do right now—for starters, a bed sounds good right now. It’s a good thing he begged Cid to incorporate some spare adjustable bed they had in Hollow Bastion, because the nap he is going to take later will be _glorious._ Secondly, he wants to be home really bad. Nobody told him being a Keyblade Master meant he’d still get mission after mission even when the war ended, and he’s happy to help—he is! Some days, the missions were just too tiring. 

Thirdly… 

He dials his number and waits for the phone to pick up. 

On the third ring, it does. 

“Hey,” Riku says into the phone, mood improving little by little. “Were you sleeping?” 

Joshua’s voice cuts through the sore and tiredness of Riku’s body. _“Hey,”_ he greets. _“No, I was working.”_

He frowns. It’s late in this world, which means in Shibuya it’s even later. Joshua’s little ‘job’ got him barely a few hours of sleep at times, and he definitely did not approve of that. “Don’t overwork yourself.” 

_“Says you?”_ Joshua wastes no time to say, which, touché. It still doesn’t shake off Riku’s worries, though. However, Joshua must have felt it, because he hurries to say: _“Okay. I’ll sleep after this call.”_

Taking in the time it was, Riku has a growing regret of calling so late. “Ah, I’m sorry for calling at this hour,” he says, shyness increasing, but he still pushes it to say what he really wants to: “I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” 

It seems to be a recurring thing for him, for his thoughts to always wander back to Joshua. It’s often about silly stuff, like taking photos of flowers because they reminded him of Joshua, or thinking back to their conversations. It intensified towards the end of the mission: just wanting to talk to him for at least a minute. 

_“Do you say that to everyone you call?”_ Joshua laughs a little. He has a soft laugh, always pleasing to hear. _“Did you miss me or something?”_

“I did,” he replies with no hesitation, because that’s what it is, isn’t it? He misses Joshua. “I’ve been busy lately, so I didn’t get to talk to you—I guess I just wanted to hear you before I went to sleep.” 

It’s a soft atmosphere between them, he can tell. Joshua is always soft-spoken, but it seems to heighten when he says, _“Well, now you’re hearing me. We can catch up tomorrow. You should sleep, Riku.”_

Almost like he needed permission to sleep, Riku yawns. His body is light again, it’s positive that when he hits the bed he’ll fall asleep instantly. Great—he needs a nap right now. He laughs after that. Is his heart really this relaxed when talking to Joshua? 

“Okay, I’ll sleep,” Another yawn interrupts him. “Thank you for talking to me.” 

It feels like Joshua might be smiling. _“Good night.”_

“Good night,” Riku replies back, a little unwilling to hang up, but he does it anyway. 

He stares at his phone for a few seconds, with a smile hard to wipe off his face. 

Man, this is a serious crush, isn’t it?

* * *

“Keep staring at me like that and you’ll make me blush.”

Riku immediately snaps out, blinking, and frankly a bit embarrassed. He wasn’t supposed to zone out — it simply happened. Joshua, although he’s looking smug as hell, still dares to tilt his head when he asks, “What, were you really staring at me? I simply assumed you sucked at Scrabble—frankly, Riku, given your history with Monopoly it would not surprise me.”

“Monopoly was hard,” Riku immediately protests. “It’s a hard game!”

“So you _were_ staring at me,” Joshua leans in a little, “weren’t you?”

Well, no point in denying it if he’s so certain about it, right?

“Yeah,” Riku admits, blunt. “Sorry if it bothered you.”

“Oh.” Joshua sounds… surprised? Riku looks up to find him looking puzzled. “I was only teasing.”

This is embarrassing. Riku takes one break to inhale deeply and to hide his face in a completely tough way. After a few seconds of silence, Joshua speaks up again: “Look, if you put down an X, it forms _max,_ and so you can start forming _Maximize—_ slowly but surely.”

Riku puts down his hands at last. “Oh, so now you’re doing pity help—”

“I stare at you too, you know,” Joshua continues like he’s still giving game tips. “Look past yourself and you’ll see me staring back at you.”

Ironically enough, he’s not looking at Riku. He’s deep in thought over his Scrabble letters, but Riku knows him—his fists are tight on his lap when they’re usually relaxed and carefree. That _happened,_ and it was meant to be interpreted as something. Something—Riku isn’t sure what he should make of it, though.

The confession makes him smile, though, and at least now he knows he can stare at Joshua whenever he wants. “I’ll put down an X, but not because you told me to.”

Riku watches how Joshua’s fists relax again and it’s telling how much of a good decision Riku made by not pressing the topic further. Truthfully, he has no idea of what he wants to tell Joshua and by the looks of it — neither does he. Joshua stares back at him again, smirk tugging at the corner of his lips like usual.

“Smart move.”

“We’ll just pretend like I was always meant to do it,” Riku smiles. “Your turn.”

“Keep your eyes opened for this one, okay? It’s going to blow you away.” Joshua leans over the board, probably for dramatic effect. “So I take the S from your SOUP and I put down P…” he keeps putting letters until he spells out the entire word.

“Psychologist,” Riku repeats out loud, in disbelief.

“See? Told you; _blown_ away. I know, it’s not my fault to be so good at this. Lucky you, it’s just you and me seeing this humiliation.”

Riku laughs. “I’m going to choke you.”

“I’d be into it.”

_“Joshua.”_

Joshua shrugs. “What? We’re just being honest tonight!”

It’s hard to not smile around Joshua, it really is. Riku is amused by everything he says—somehow, the humor fits his own, or rather: it’s so drastically different from his that he finds it refreshing.

“I’ll refill our drinks,” Joshua announces, reaching out and grabbing his drink. “I give you permission to stare at my behind while I go.”

“There’s not much to stare at,” Riku counters.

“I— how dare you,” he stops, mock-offended, “had I been wearing tighter jeans, you’d be eating your own words. Honestly. The disrespect in my own house tonight…”

He walks towards the kitchen, and even though it’s embarrassing, Riku takes one look. Yeah, there is not much to stare at with those pants.

His cheeks immediately heat up when Joshua is out of the room. This crush is officially out of control, taking its own form and conscience and willing to control Riku if it had to. Sometimes pretty boys with funny speeches and unique way of being are all it takes to break you down.

So far, it seemed to work to be honest with his feelings.

Listening to his heart always brought more good things than bad.

* * *

“You’re tired,” Riku notes, a little regretful. He should’ve noticed earlier.

The fact Joshua made an effort to still have dinner with him is tugging at Riku’s heart more than he’d like to admit. Back at his place, though, it’s like the wave of tiredness hits Joshua at once: yawns make themselves present, his eyes lose all energy, and his footsteps get heavier and heavier.

“Drop it,” Joshua immediately responds, waving it off. “It’s fine.”

“Nope, can’t,” Riku stands in front of him, successfully blocking his path. “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

Joshua looks up, tired and definitely done with the situation. “I didn’t want you to come all this way just to be bored. The _least_ I offer you—”

“—is your time with me, yes,” a smile forms. “Did you forget I come here to visit _you,_ no matter what we do?”

His tense stance relaxes a bit. He’s not convinced, though, so Riku continues: “I like being with you, that’s all.”

Joshua holds his stare for a few seconds longer before dropping it all together. “You really need to stop saying things like this. I might actually believe it.”

“That’s the point, though,” Riku tentatively reaches out for Joshua’s hand. “I care about you.”

Clearly, it seems to be the right thing to say. Joshua looks down again, chuckling at himself and shaking his head like he can't believe Riku would ever say something like that. 

He sighs, getting closer and dropping his head on Riku’s chest. “Ah, Riku. What shall I do about you?”

It might be the entire situation, or the fact that it’s a bit late at night, or maybe it’s just that Riku has been holding these feelings for so long that this cat and dog chase seems to be getting old for him. Whichever the case, he’s bold enough to separate Joshua from his chest, tilting his chin up.

“Can I kiss you?”

“I really want you to.”

Heart racing, he leans down and kisses him.

It doesn’t feel like fireworks going off, and it’s not a zoo dancing on his stomach, or any of those exaggerations. He slips his hands around Joshua’s waist, breaking the kiss for a moment before Joshua leans up and decides _nope, not yet._ It’s not rainbows and sunshine.

Calm washes over him, like a puzzle piece fell completing the full picture, or like coming home after a long day. Maybe that’s what this is: Riku is home and everything is okay. He’s in love with this feeling, with the warmth that envelops him, with the way Joshua fits under his hands, with the way Joshua kisses him like it might not be happening at all—

“We should’ve done this earlier,” Joshua murmurs, still close enough that Riku could simply kiss him.

Riku feels compelled to tell him then, that he _really_ likes him; that things are so easy with him, he might as well be head over heels already. There is so much to say, and yet, he has no idea where to start or what he really wants to say. He kisses him one more time, just to make sure this is happening, and finally grins.

“I think we should keep it up,” he soothingly rubs his waist, relishing on the closeness—thinking of wanting him like this and _actually_ having him like this is different. “Joshua?”

Joshua looks up, a little tired, but oh so beautiful.

“You’re so pretty,” Riku says, just a little breathless. “I, um, that’s not what I wanted to say.”

He giggles, “Can’t say I’m not flattered.”

“I wanted to say,” he carries on, but breaks into another fit of giggles. This is a surreal situation. “We should go to sleep.”

“Indeed.”

“Promise me next time you’ll tell me if you feel tired, or not up to do things. I’ll understand.”

Joshua inhales a bit. “I promise,” he says, even though it sounds like it weighs more than it should.

That’s a thought for another day.

* * *

“I dunno,” Riku shrugs, “it just felt right. Fit the mood, you know.”

Beat is staring at him like he grew an extra head. “Are you forreal, bro?”

“Yes, listen,” he says, feeling a little too exposed. “It was a specific… mood. So I kissed him. Not a big deal.”

“Yo, I dunno about you, man, but I don’ go around kissin’ Phones just cuz the mood fit, y’kno.”

“I feel like you wouldn’t be opposed to kissing Neku, anyway,” Rhyme pipes in happily. Beat looks scandalized. “What? I’m being honest! But yeah, Riku, I don’t think that’s ‘not a big deal’, like you say. Have you talked to Joshua about what happened?”

Not really.

They’ve just been kissing without a real talk.

This is good, because Riku has no idea what to say, and clearly neither does Joshua. It works like this, and talking would probably be awkward. It’s okay, because they both feel the same way, don’t they?

“So no,” Rhyme concludes after his silence.

“Look, it’s fine,” Riku waves them off. “We’re fine.”

Beat shrugs. “Won’ hurt to talk is all I’ve got to say about this.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

Around three weeks later, maybe talking is a good thing to do. If Joshua climbs on his lap to make out with him in the middle of Monopoly again, then some discussions are to be had.

So right now. He pulls away from Joshua and says, “I have one question.”

Joshua looks at him, curiously. “Mm?”

“What are we?” Riku tries to not panic or send Joshua into a panic. He reassuringly rubs the soft spots of his skin under his shirt, relishing on the feeling. “I know it’s not just friends.”

“Oh, why?” Joshua smiles, a little mischievous, “Would you be mad if I went around kissing my other friends?”

“That’s beyond the point,” Riku says, even though the answer might be yes.

“Aw, don’t worry. You’re currently the only person I want to be kissing.”

Riku smiles, a little dopey. Then shakes his head. “Stop avoiding the question. What do you think we are?”

Joshua plays with the back of his neck. It tickles a little. “What do you want us to be?”

 _Boyfriend_ sounds lame to say it now, and yet, the mere thought of it makes Riku blush. This is the first time that Riku has been in this situation, and needless to say, it’s hard to get the words out. He sighs, a little frustrated, and somehow that’s a cue for Joshua to kiss him again. 

“Just us,” Riku replies after a short while. “That’s what I want us to be.”

“Like right now?”

“No, not like right now,” Riku then hurries to add, “Not that there’s anything wrong with it! I just…”

Joshua looks at him, attentive, not pressing. He pushes his hair behind his ear and Riku will explode later, when he’s not busy debating his feelings. 

“… want exclusivity, I guess.”

Joshua nods. “So you want me to be your boyfriend.”

Goodness. Now it sounded lame.

“Pretty much,” Riku looks away. Hard to not look at Joshua when he’s still straddling his lap. Why are they having this conversation in this position, again? “I keep talking about my feelings. I don’t know if you agree or not, and if you don’t—it’s fine, I guess.”

Not really. But he still wants to hear Joshua’s side. There’s a bit of silence on his part, so Riku holds his hand and gives him a squeeze. 

“Believe it or not, I also am not fond of the idea of sharing you with anyone else,” Joshua says. He doesn’t sound very happy about it. It’s cute. “It’s selfish, because I don’t own you and you don’t own me. But I do own my actions, and I’d like them to be between us only.”

Riku smiles, “So you want me to be your boyfriend.”

His smile must be too sappy, because Joshua puts his hands over his face. “Stop. It sounds stupid now.”

“Thing is,” Joshua continues, but his words come to a halt. “I don’t think…”

“Hm?”

“I don’t think I’ve told you everything,” Joshua states. “Not like I am actively lying to you, or hiding things. Nothing too fishy, I hope. Oh, actually, maybe fishy isn’t the right word. It’s simply—hard to talk about, to put it in a way. You already know a bit of it—you’ve seen my wings. The rest of it… It’s a very long story.”

Riku gets it. Even if they have known each other for a good while now, some things are just hard to bring up casually. Riku doesn’t feel like telling the stories of his tragedies and past mistakes every day. We all have our own baggage that we feel free to unload when the right time comes. 

Riku presses one kiss to his hands. “I get you. I’m willing to wait for whenever you’re ready to share.”

Joshua’s eyes widen slightly. Then, he chuckles, “What an incredible being you are.”

“Are we dating now?” Riku tilts his head, “What changes?”

“Just the _official_ part, I suppose.” Joshua hums. “I think we stopped being platonic a long time ago.”

Riku gets a brief montage of the last three weeks they spent doing not-so-friendly stuff and laughs. “Yeah, you’re right about that.” Another pause. “Can I say something?”

“Sure.”

“I really like you,” Riku squeezes his hips, happy to have this freedom. “I’ve been dying to tell you that. Even the smallest things you do makes me happy. I’m glad we’re together.”

Joshua’s eyes widen for real this time, then he exhales a shaky laugh. “You’re going to be the death of me.”

Riku smiles. 

Then attempts to push him off his lap. “Come on, we have to finish playing Monopoly.”

Joshua panics, “Are you _kidding?_ I’ll literally _die_ if I’m not on top of you right now. I’ll shoot the board if I have to.”

“Please don’t kill the Monopoly man.”

“If he gets in the way of our date, then—”

“He doesn’t deserve it!”

“It’s his fault!”

Just like that, things go back to normal. 

* * *

“May I know what type of betrayal is this?” Joshua gestures to Riku’s coffee. “Why is his so cheap?”

Mr. H shrugs at Joshua. “Hey, don’t be offended. Coffee is always cheap for tourists.”

“I did not know you could become such a liar,” Joshua shakes his head. “I’m asking for mine to be free.”

“As if you ever paid,” Mr. H laughs and then turns to Riku. “You put up with this guy? Willingly?”

“I like the chaos of it all,” Riku replies, very amused. He likes Mr. H, he’s never had the chance to have a long talk with him—that is, until now. “Makes life very interesting.”

“Ha! _Interesting._ That’s one way to put it.”

“You’re telling me I haven’t always been the definition of delight in your life?” Joshua shrugs. “Feeling highly disrespected today.”

“Acting like a saint in front of your boyfriend? Figures.”

“Oh, no, he’d never,” Riku pipes in again. “He can’t pretend to be a saint. It’s very hard. It’s okay, because I love him all the same.”

Mr. H smiles at him, pleased with his answer. “Man. Josh hit the jackpot with you.”

“Yeah, I did,” Joshua says quietly, staring at him in the way Riku assumes he stares at Joshua. Goodness, that’s loaded with feelings.

Riku clears his throat again, trying to not explode in front of Mr. H. “Great coffee, by the way.”

“Oh, darling, you don’t have to _lie_ to him,” Joshua says. “He can take it.”

They laugh, and the rest of the afternoon passes by like that: idle chats, anecdotes, and Mr. H constantly threatening to expose Joshua’s past teenage behaviors. It’s nice and fun, and Joshua acts a lot looser than when they’re with their other friends. Like his guard is down. 

When Riku finally realizes that, he’s struck with a wave of love towards his boyfriend, as usual. He waits until they’re out of the café, walking home, to hold his hand and sigh fondly. 

“I take it you enjoyed our day,” Joshua says. “It’s a bit chaotic that you both get along so well, but I’m glad you do.”

“Aw,” Riku glances at him, then at the road. “It was important for me to meet him, huh?”

“You don’t know this, but he’s been saving my ass for quite a bit.” Joshua pauses. “I’d go as far as to say he’s the closest thing to family I have. Never tell him I said that, he won’t drop it.”

Riku chuckles, “Secret’s safe with me.”

Joshua is not done being serious, though. “Did you mean it? What you said back in the café. That you love me, chaos and all.”

Oh. 

Mark down “tell your boyfriend you love him for the first time in front of someone else” as something Riku will regret ages later at three in the morning. 

“I did,” he replies. “I love you.”

Joshua stops walking. “You really are going to kill me like this.” He smiles, though, genuine and pretty. “I love you, too.”

Riku stops as well. 

The words hit him very suddenly, so of course the first reaction is to bear-hug Joshua. 

“Oh my god,” Joshua laughs, holding back as well as he can. “You’re ridiculous. Say, since we’re being sappy…”

“Yes? Anything.”

Joshua tightens his hold. “How about I tell you some important stories about me? That is, of course, if you’re willing to listen.”

Oh, this was it. This was important. 

“Of course,” Riku says, plain and simple. “Always, if it’s you.”

**Author's Note:**

> you guys should listen to shall we by chen. its a good song. SORRY ABR ANY MISTAKES I WILL.. CORRECT.. ty for reading ^_^
> 
> twitter: @joshriku  
> tumblr: @joshrikus


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